Second Sunday of
Lent
Readings: Gen 22:1-2, 9-18; Rom 8:31-34; Mk
9:2-10.
Science
commits suicide if it denies God. It cannot deny, for the supernatural is not
its field of enquiry. However, many moderns, influenced by science, dismiss the
reality of the Spirit as primitive myth. But Jesus by his Transfiguration
revealed that God is indeed real. Because what happened at the Transfiguration
of Christ was only the explosion of the Spirit already present in him, breaking
through with brilliance, giving him a rare glimpse of God’s face, transporting
him for a while to the realm of God and touching the chords of ineffable joy
within him.
Such
a transfiguration, but in an imperfect manner, could happen to any human being,
because God is an unutterable sigh planted in the depth of every human heart. It
could happen to any Christian because God indwells by his Spirit in every soul
redeemed by Christ. It actually happens to saints. Touched by God, St. Paul
challenged, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:3). Touched by
God, St. Augustine exclaimed, “Our hearts are made for you, Oh God, and they
shall not rest until they rest in you.”Touched by God, St. Francis of Assisi
sang, “Make me a channel of your peace.”So God can touch any heart that opens
its doors to His love. Even an alcoholic, when moved by the concern of a beloved
wife, or a lonely and bereaved widow when comforted by the concern of a caring
relative, or a confused and depressed young man when received by a kindly elder
could experience their moments of limited transfiguration, for it is the same
transforming power of God which is transmitted when someone tells another “I
love you.”
At
such moments of our own imperfect transfiguration, wonderful things can happen
to us. For example, our attitude to suffering could change, for then we will
realize that here on earth we can’t walk in a straight line to victory and that
the destiny of every Christian is written between two mountains, Calvary and
Mount Tabor. The touch of God could lift our darkness and melt away our fears,
for all fear is bondage. We fear even love and that is why we fear sacrifices,
which was not the case for Abraham to whom even sacrifices, which was not the
case for Abraham to whom even sacrificing his only son was meaningful because he
loved God (Gen 22:9-12). Without meaning, sacrifices can destroy us, but with
meaning they can transform us.
But
one thing is certain. If we want to have our transfigurations, we must have our
Tabors, namely we must take ourselves to prayer. It was when Jesus climbed the
Mount to pray that he was transfigured and heard, “This is my beloved son, in
whom I am well pleased” (Mk 9:7). At prayer, the Lord will speak and we must
“listen to him” (Mk 9:7). The Lord will speak to us in any manner, either by
putting an idea in our mind or giving us a new perspective of life; either by
stirring up new desires in our heart or by calming our turbulent emotions or by
actually whispering words to the listening ears of our souls. But in whatever
manner he speaks, if only we listen, we will be transfigured, reborn and healed.
The healing touch of God will kindle in our hearts such a spark of hope and love
that we can go forward into our dark future, carrying an invisible lamp burning
in our heart, proclaiming to the rest of the world, “He touched
me.”
Lent
Readings: Gen 22:1-2, 9-18; Rom 8:31-34; Mk
9:2-10.
Science
commits suicide if it denies God. It cannot deny, for the supernatural is not
its field of enquiry. However, many moderns, influenced by science, dismiss the
reality of the Spirit as primitive myth. But Jesus by his Transfiguration
revealed that God is indeed real. Because what happened at the Transfiguration
of Christ was only the explosion of the Spirit already present in him, breaking
through with brilliance, giving him a rare glimpse of God’s face, transporting
him for a while to the realm of God and touching the chords of ineffable joy
within him.
Such
a transfiguration, but in an imperfect manner, could happen to any human being,
because God is an unutterable sigh planted in the depth of every human heart. It
could happen to any Christian because God indwells by his Spirit in every soul
redeemed by Christ. It actually happens to saints. Touched by God, St. Paul
challenged, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:3). Touched by
God, St. Augustine exclaimed, “Our hearts are made for you, Oh God, and they
shall not rest until they rest in you.”Touched by God, St. Francis of Assisi
sang, “Make me a channel of your peace.”So God can touch any heart that opens
its doors to His love. Even an alcoholic, when moved by the concern of a beloved
wife, or a lonely and bereaved widow when comforted by the concern of a caring
relative, or a confused and depressed young man when received by a kindly elder
could experience their moments of limited transfiguration, for it is the same
transforming power of God which is transmitted when someone tells another “I
love you.”
At
such moments of our own imperfect transfiguration, wonderful things can happen
to us. For example, our attitude to suffering could change, for then we will
realize that here on earth we can’t walk in a straight line to victory and that
the destiny of every Christian is written between two mountains, Calvary and
Mount Tabor. The touch of God could lift our darkness and melt away our fears,
for all fear is bondage. We fear even love and that is why we fear sacrifices,
which was not the case for Abraham to whom even sacrifices, which was not the
case for Abraham to whom even sacrificing his only son was meaningful because he
loved God (Gen 22:9-12). Without meaning, sacrifices can destroy us, but with
meaning they can transform us.
But
one thing is certain. If we want to have our transfigurations, we must have our
Tabors, namely we must take ourselves to prayer. It was when Jesus climbed the
Mount to pray that he was transfigured and heard, “This is my beloved son, in
whom I am well pleased” (Mk 9:7). At prayer, the Lord will speak and we must
“listen to him” (Mk 9:7). The Lord will speak to us in any manner, either by
putting an idea in our mind or giving us a new perspective of life; either by
stirring up new desires in our heart or by calming our turbulent emotions or by
actually whispering words to the listening ears of our souls. But in whatever
manner he speaks, if only we listen, we will be transfigured, reborn and healed.
The healing touch of God will kindle in our hearts such a spark of hope and love
that we can go forward into our dark future, carrying an invisible lamp burning
in our heart, proclaiming to the rest of the world, “He touched
me.”
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